1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of railroad car equipment, and more particularly, relates to a railroad coach seat anti-rotation and locking mechanism.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Seats in passenger coaches may be either fixed in position or may be equipped with a particularly constructed mechanism which is designed to permit the seat to be reversed or rotated through one hundred and eighty degrees. In the case of fixed seat coaches, when all of the seats are secured to face in the same direction, it is then necessary to actually turn the car completely around when making a return trip. In view of the problems involved in providing the trackage or other construction required to turn the entire car, in most instances, railroads and railway coach designers have preferred to design and construct the coach seats with some type of coach seat reversing mechanism. In this manner, the individual seats can be operated to face in the opposite direction without requiring the turning of the coach itself.
In one popular coach seat design, an upper seat frame has been provided and has been equipped with a suitable turnable or revolving mechanism to allow the upper frame together with the seat cushions to be revolved relative to a floor affixed lower frame. Accordingly, rather than having to turn the entire coach at the end of a run, all that was required was to revolve each seat upper frame individually relative to its non-movable seat lower frame.
While such seat rotating mechanisms have proved to be both popular and efficient in the past, recent events have demonstrated that this type of seat construction inherently includes a considerable safety hazard to the occupants. In the event of a sudden, unexpected stop, for example, in the case of an accident, railroad and government officials, and others concerned with railway safety, have found that the presently available rotating type seat constructions could not be counted upon to maintain their normally forward orientation. Due to the inability of the seats to remain fixed in position during an emergency situation, that is, facing in the direction of coach movement without rotation, this design flaw has resulted in passenger injuries that could otherwise have been avoided.
Accordingly, the need exists to design and to provide a revolving type of coach seat wherein the seat revolving mechanism can be relied upon to maintain the seat orientation even under the severe conditions and stresses imposed during a high speed crash.